New Century
by EmmaSteed
Summary: A conclusion from my Tom/Mina trilogy and Crossover with Mary Reilly. This is going to be one hell of a long story. So start reading now before the headaches kick in.
1. Chapter 1

The following story in a conclusion to my Mina and Tom trilogy that I have publish through out the years.

Mina Warms Up: .net/secure/live_?storyid=2315127

Mina's Gift:

.net/secure/live_?storyid=3512388

Mina's Future: .net/secure/live_?storyid=3133525

This story is also a crossover with the movie Mary Reilly. If you never heard of the movie you can read up on it at .com/title/tt0117002/ and I do advise for anyone to watch it.

Chapter One – New Century Day

December 3rd 1899

The Antarctica below 15 degrees Celsius temperature would leave any life form unbearable to continue on. The frozen water would instantly kill anyone who would, God forbid, accidentally fall in, but preserve any material item that would drop to the depth of it's icy bottom. Such items that are contained in a box of "tricks" that was left assumed back in July to its demise.

Since then it had stayed dormant for five months in the cold wet dark, until now a bright beam shines light on it. The beam is giving out from a round containment mechanical device, once known as a "Nataliod," being navigating by an unseen human.

A claw extends out from a metal panel in front of the machine and grasps a hold of the box. Once the claw comes back towards the small vessel it turns around and heads back the direction from where it came.

January 1st 1900

The Nautilus stayed surfaced for all of New Years Eve to welcome in the new century. The clear sunny sky over the South Atlantic Ocean illuminated the empty corridors of the ship. The only proofs of life with the sounds of grunts from the passengers as they fight hangovers in the safety of their cabins and the decorations and empty glasses scatter around the floor and tables dinner hall, except for one glass. It stood up by it's self on the floor half full of a brown alcohol substance with the sound of human snoring coming from near it.

Mina eyes flutter from the bright white walls of her cabin. It took a little while for her mind to catch up from last night events of fireworks shot off the conning tower and the intimate ones that were made in here.

With glowing smile she turns her head to the young man whose arms where still wrapped around her after last night. Tom was still asleep with a soft smile showing off troublemaking little boy that still lurks inside of him. She could tell by his breathing and the heartbeat that her ears can easily pick up on that he was not going to wake up any time soon.

She gently slip his hands off her nude waist and leaves them lying in the warm spot she was laying. Standing up from the bed Mina stretches while staring down at him. He had grown up to be more of something she found herself needing in the past six months and at the same time she had grown as well in to something peaceful.

Seeing his white shirt lying on the floor she grabs it wraps it around herself as she walks into the washroom.

The ships unoccupied communication room that door open to the dinning room echo high frequency mores code into the empty halls

As Mina steps out of the bathroom, she stops at the sight of Tom awake. In repay from taking off with his shirt he decided to put on her black lace robe she had acquired in Spain. Laughing at him, she places her hand over her mouth to keep her voice from reaching outside the cabin.

Knowing that she understood his sense of humor, Tom smiled back at her with a wise smirk on his face. "What? Doesn't it work for me?"

"Yes, It enhances your sensitivety." She continued heckling as she striped his shirt off and handed it to him.

Tom looked down and back up her naked body as he grabbed his shirt back, "I was aiming for more of my humors side but sensitive works too."

Half an hour latter with the right gender in the right cloths the two walk out together casually linking their hands together on and off as they were distracted by the mess of the ship, "I don't suppose anyone else is going to up soon." Tom commented about the abstinence of life around them.

"Well, not a as refreshed anyway." Mina sensitive ears picked up on something that caused her to take the lead without the realization of it into the dinning hall, "I hear something."

Tom beings to pick up on the high pitch noise as they enter the dinning room, "Morse code, someone is trying to contact us."

Mina brisk fully walks across the hall, causing her long black skirt to float behind her, wiping on top of the passed out invisible man.

"I always wanted wake up to find myself up your skirt someday," his voices hoarsely announced from under her.

Mina's from the surprise yelp cause Tom to take steps closer to her in case she needed him but at the same time gave her space to take care of the situation. Her and Skinner had developed a sarcastic relationship that had the tendency to give him and the others on board some comic entertainment.

"I live without the white grease stains on my bloomers," Mina looked down at Skinner as a predator to a prey.

"Oh Mina that look just says pint up passion," Skinner laughs as he sits up with just the half full glass indicating where he is. "Cheers to you lover and happy new year." He downs the glass till it's empty and then throws it behind him to shatter on the floor.

"Do know what happens after liquor sits out for a while?" Tom asks Skinner.

"Does it become a better vintage?"

"No." Tom answers back a little weary.

"Well why would I worry about…Oh Lord." The cocky English man quickly stood up and pushes Tom out of the way as he ran out the dinning room for the nearest washroom.

"I wonder if his vomit also invisible," Tom jests before entering the communications room with Mina in front of him. He took the opportunity to place his hand over her lower back as she bent over to tear off a long thin strip where the code recorded in brail form.

The lovers sat on the table side by side of each other as they both read a different part of the message. "Champion Bond from the queen's security.." Tom started off before Mina read her part, "Urgent lives are at stake."

Right then the echo sound of someone deeply spilling all they have out of their digestive system caused the two of them to at each other with a comical look of disgust.


	2. Chapter 2

Capture 2 – what we do is secret

Nemo's boots echo on the hard wood floor of the navigation deck. The sound causes the crew to wince as their brains were still not back to normality after last night's celebration.

Henry Jekyll and Tom Sawyer stood in front of the captain as he finished giving orders in Arab. He turns to the men, Tom's arms crosses his chest as if he was prepared at any point to pull his six shooters as Henry stood with his shoulders slouching and his fingers fondling with the chain of his pocket watch.

"We will be arriving in England by this evening," Nemo's eyes shifted towards Henry more than Tom, "It has been informed to me that you have the full patron to return back there doctor."

"Congrants Jekyll," Tom steps in front of the nervous doctor as Nemo smiles with a nod of his head before leaving the two to keep attention on his ship and the hung over crew.

"Well I can't say I'm really that excited," Henry's gaze goes down to the floor as his mind was distracted about something outside of their discussion.

On her way to the coning tower, Mina passes the open door way behind Henry that grabs Tom's attention. "Hey, let bygones be bygones," Tom closes the discussion with a pat on the shoulder as he walks away.

"Royal Family in Danger of Extension!" The young paperboy screams into the busy afternoon London streets.

A tall attractive man passes the boy with a strut of self-confidence in a outfit very much out of date. It fits his muscular frame and broad shoulders well but the once green and brown earth tone colors are faded with age. Stopping at the stonewall keeping from dropping into the River Thames, his brown eyes stair across onto the parliament building as the clock tower chimes at noon.

Henry stares down his desk with a almost bare piece of paper and pen in hand with ink dripping down his hand, "Dear Mary" was all he could produce.

The memories of his last months in England came rushing back. The arrival of the young chambermaid, the way she was respectful and developed deep friendships with both him and Hyde.

"I knew you'd be the death of us," Hyde's voice echoes in his mind. Those were the last words she had to hear from him.

The grunts of someone in the room broke Henry's reflections. He looked at his bed as the voice of Rodney Skinner fills the quit room, "Ahh, Jekyll, morning. What are you doing here?"

"Skinner," Henry was annoy with the invisible man's rude behavior, "your in my room."

"Oh," Skinner looks around the cabin to see that he indeed was not where he thought, "I guess so." Skinner stands up from the bed and stretches, "well good morning anyway."

Henry lets out a small sigh as he crumples the paper and tosses it in the wastebasket beside the desk, "morning."

Tom opens the hatch from the dark cylinder to a beautiful sunny but chilly day. He made his movements quit so he would not distract the sight before him. Mina was staring out on to the seas from the same spot when he was staring at her six months ago.

Softly he closes the hatch and struts up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist and places his face in her freely down auburn hair.

Mina closes her eyes and sighs at his warm body up to hers and hislips kissing the back of her head, "You're staying with me in London. I have a town house in Islington."

"Is that a order?" Tom smiles.

Mina turns in his arms and wraps her arms around his shoulders and kisses him. Their toughs gently slide into each other causing him to moan internally. As much as Tom loves this development in their relationship he breaks the kiss, "Do you think we should tell the rest? About us?"

Mina closes her eyes in thought that she didn't even think about the reaction that not only their friends but the government officials might have, I am above what others think of me, was her attitude not long time. But now it wasn't just her to consider, "I don't know. It might not be a bad idea to keep it-"

"- Under cover." Tom finishes using a word that goes in the line of his work; "it's nothing new to me. After all is one of the things I'm good at."

"At least until we get to know who this Champion Bond," Mina's concerned blue eyes looks right in to his green ones.

"I wouldn't worry if things turn against us. I don't mind breaking away from service." He reassures her as the breeze picks back up and starts blowing her open coat around him.

"You'd give up you job for me?" Mina eyebrow arches in question.

"No just the being paid by the government part. I have enough money to retire on now at age 25," Tom gives her a confident smile before moving lips back on hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – The Prep Work

Lieutenant Colonel Steed, of the her majesty's army, walks inside parliament into a lift. He juggles with four folders under his arms and one he tries to keep open to read as he pushes the lever down with an elbow. The back of the open folder labels "CLASSIFIED C.I.A" containing importance information of one man's past.

The thud of the lifts stop makes the middle age man off balance and causes a photo to fall out of the open folder. The photo was not a profile but of a man lying on a medical operation table. Looking badly mutilated and surrounded by doctors, one of them color, with blood all over the white aprons. Steed bends over a pick up the photo to revel writing behind it "Captain Tom Sawyer: Resurrection."

The man crosses over Westminster Bridge stopping in front of an ally. He waits as a very young fair skin and hair woman comes out of the shadows. She fiercely stares at the man while wiping a red substance from the corner of her mouth, "'ello luv." In a welsh accent that goes well with her appearance. Wrapping her arms around him she gives wet lustful kiss on the corner of his mouth. He leads her down a few blocks and stops at a pub to whisper in her ear, causing her to smile wickedly. "Alright luver," she crosses the street. Before entering the pub she turns back to wink at him but he was already gone.

As the **Nautilus** travels through the Thyme River just passing Chelsea, each individual league member prepare for their departure.

Nemo stands with confidence and serenity on the navigation deck as crewmembers were screaming orders to each other as they prepared for their destination.

Skinner sat in his own room at a desk with a circular mirror trying to even out his make up, "hmmm I think I'll shop for some flesh shades." He continues slopping on more white grease.

Henry Stands with his pocket watch out in his hand glaring down at the engraved metal dedicated to him as a medical award back in his prime. Not standing the thoughts of something lost he couldn't get back. Henry quickly puts the watch back into his vest pocket and changes his concentration on a decision. On his desk was now a leather bond case with his formula in it. He was not sure to bring one bottle just in case. Hyde has become more of a hero over the last mission but he wasn't to sure what he would do back in London.

Mina finishes packing a few of her important lab items into a medical bag. She had changed in to a black and red silk top from china with her hair was up. Checking her reflection to make sure the collar was high enough to cover the mark on her neck. She stops and stares at herself noticing something different in her eyes, they were more of a darker blue than usual.

Tom buttons up the last button on the black vest of his new suite that Mina had given him for Christmas. He stares at the full-length mirror to check on his tie. Feeling that something was out of place the detective part of him kicks in. His eyes go up and down at his reflection until it hits him, his hair, it didn't fit in.

The harbor was very laid back in the winter season; one worker in black cloths, coat, and hat sat on a dock reading the newspaper. Turning the page the sound of something that makes the dock shake causes him to let go of the paper. The winter breeze separates the crease pages into the body of the Nautilus merging.

Mina turns to a soft knock on the open frame of her door. Smiling, Tom enters, in his new suite and hairstyle. She first notices that his blond locks were combed back slick causing it to look darker. But it was not until he kisses her in front of her bed when her hand brushes through it that she notices the length is shorter.

"Are you ready?" Tom asks as he sees the medical on the foot of her bed.

"Yes," Mina keeps staring at him.

Tom stars into her eyes and knows what that look means without ever seeing it before. In quick reflexes he takes her into his arms and aggressively kisses her.

They continue holding each other and touching any amount of flesh that is available. The only ways to stop this from going further is placing her hand over his chest and gently push him.

"So do you want to leave before we-"

"-Yes!" Mina says in earnest to control her self as Tom grabs her case.

In good timing Skinner passes by the open doorway and turns to peak in, "Sawyer your hair is to uneven. You should do what I do and just razor it off." He laughs as he picks his hat off to show what little hair stubs was there before continuing down the hallway.

Tom looks with question on his face at Mina who knew what Skinner was talking about as she grabs her brush off the dresser and fixes the mess she had made of his hair seconds earlier.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Surprise Packages

Mary Reilly leaves her manor on a mission, for the past few years ever since her former master, Doctor Henry Jekyll, left.

She ran out of the lecture hall that night, thinking him dead, until she found a constable strolling by. She told him the story on the mysterious Hyde and how he had killed Jekyll. It wasn't much of a lie, she had thought in a way he did.

But by the time she, and all police involved in the case of the prostitute murder named Hyde, there was nothing left but bloody footprints leading across the courtyard in to the manor.

Inside were a few missing items like cloths and valuables token out of a empty safe with a note left in it. The note was Jekyll confession and that he was leaving and not coming back to London. Everything that he had left was to be given to her.

She had never heard from him again. There were stories about murders matching the same details as those committed by Hyde. But the description of the monster didn't match the Hyde she knew.

While stories went around she took her mind off the past. She read his books and had even become a student to the lectures that still took place next door. She very quickly moved up to be a nurse to many of his friends. She wanted to be more but the medical, to the public, world was a man's territory to the public.

Her knowledge and determination found another outlet in assisting the police in solving crimes. But even after identifying the guilty from the innocent at least a dozen times the government still kept her a secret.

Reaching the stone steps of the post office, she stops and takes a moment for her mind to come back to the present. Venturing inside, the building her eyes are welcome by tall walls of mailboxes reached up to the ceiling, she felt very lucky to have gotten one just a inch over her height.

Fumbling inside her handbag for the key her shoulder bumps into a male passerby. She takes notice to his unique fashion and muscular frame as he nods apology before walking away.

"What hurtful brown eyes," she mentions straightens herself.

Champion Bond was a man who could bear the cold. He stood on top of the parliament building in the below freezing temperature breeze smoking his hand rolled cigarettes. The good amount of weight he gained over the years was great asset to this atmosphere.

The door to the roof opens causing a strong gust to go inside and circulate back out with a black fedora.

"Hey my hat!" Skinner yells and runs out first to give chase.

One member after another steps out into the brutal cold: Tom and Mina, as if the temperature has no effect on them, continue on towards the heavyset man as Henry and Nemo stay close the door.

Champion without a strain in muscle catches the hat in hand and hands it back to it's owner.

"Aye thanks mate." Skinner places the hat back on. But keeps his hand on it to keep it from blowing off again.

"And you would be?" Champion was able to tell the other members apart but the man in front of him threw him off.

"Rodney Skinner, you must be Bond!" Skinner nods his head ignoring the hand Champion offers.

"Yes Bond. Champion Bond." He exhales his last breath of smoke into the air and tosses the butt off the buildings edge.

"Mrs. Harker," Champion nods his head at her with a slight fearful gulp as he knew very well about her.

In response Mina shifts her eyes down to the ground and back him partly because of his actions and other because of her coat and collar prevents easy movements.

"You must be Agent Sawyer," Champion says with a little excitement he keeps as hidden as he can. He takes the step forward and offers his hand at the same time that Tom does and shakes it with a hard grip. "We acquired your file and I find you very admirable."

"With full permission from the US government?" Tom's grasp starts to over power Champions, causing the man to respond quickly.

"Yes. It took us a few months… and lots of paper work… along with background checks… on everyone in the building… but yes they did release it to us," Champion smiles as he takes his hand back and unconsciously rubs it. "Shall we?" He directs them to follow him to the opposite of the roof then they had entered from.

They stop in front of the clock tower. As Champion touches a blank stone Skinner takes his chance at being a wise ass, "Well it's a pretty clock but how the bloody hell is it going to help us-"

Cutting him off was a chime and the stonewall opening to a lift. Mina arches her eyebrow as she steps in with Champion and Tom who carries no surprise on his face. Skinner's jaw drops as Nemo nodding his head in approval of the device and Henry's eyes shifting to look at every detail of it as they pass him.

The lift opens to a long dark wood table surrounded by mechanics of the clock. The sound of the large hand moving echos being and is followed by a thud of a gear shifting.

Champion takes the first step out and casually walks to his spot at the end of the table. The rest of the lifts passengers slowly step out with their eyes gazing around.

"It's more relaxing than taking stairs but I think you could use some music in that thing," Skinner breaks the silence with his personal view on the elevator.

"Welcome The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," A unknown man's voice echos.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – The mission

Coming out of the shadows is a middle age, glasses wearing, overdressed for the season man.

"Ah Steed," Champion holds his arm out to signal him sit down at the other end of the table.

The seats in the middle get fill with Henry with Nemo to his right nearest and Skinner across from both of them.

Knowing Mina sitting next to Skinner would be lead to bickering, Tom sat in the empty chair near him allowing his lover to sit across him.

Mina, sitting her bag on the table, unbuttons the top part of her coat to allow some air circulation. Seeing the bite wound Champion gave a slight uncomforting on his face as he passes her for his chair at the other end.

After a moment of cold silence both Nemo and Steed went to speak first but both stop given the other a respectful opportunity for the first word.

"You first captain," Steed nods casually for him to go on.

"Thank You, we were confused for quit a while, the empire had assigned all of us to be this league, but not a word since Professor James Moriaty-"

"-I was begging to think I was invisible to the whole parliamentary," Skinner ads cutting Nemo off they can get straight to the point of being here.

"Yes you have our deepest apologies, many things have delayed us in taking advantage on your talents," Steed's stares away from Nemo to the other members. "Starting this year, captain, the empires will begging negotiations with India. That took time along with the doctors pardon for return to England."

Henry purposely avoids eye contact with Steed and keeps his stare down at the table seeing Hyde's reflection smiling back off of the varnish hardwood.

"And as I mentioned we had much to do on rights of using Agent Sawyer's abilities," Champion adds causing Tom to become uncomfortable.

The agent shifts his eyes around to see everyone staring down the table at him. He was able to brush them off, but not the arch eyebrow coming for him from across the table. His instincts took over telling him he to play it calm.

Before he could let out a word Skinner had to throw in his half a penny comment, "Sooo Tommy…..hiding anything?"

"Yes for good reason." Tom answers back in a serious tone.

"And please give us those reasons," Mina asks strongly but seductively to cover angry she could be holding. Her ability to do that always amazed him.

"I would Mi….everyone but it's a need to know basses-"

"- which we have applied for all of you. But considering everyone in this room haves questionable records, it will take some time." Steed says in Tom's defense.

"Can we get the real issues now," Tom says wanting to get off subject of him.

"Yes lets," Champion stands up and walks to a clock gear to move it counter clockwise until 10 o'clock. It releases a bright white screen from above them and hangs at the end of the table. He then moves the same gear clockwise to six o'clock making the lights dim. Nemo and Tom, on habit, look around them in case there are any unexpected surprises.

Flickering noise following a light beam aims on to the screen, showing a filmstrip of newspapers across the world with English subtitles. "Every nation in Europe has shared a pattern of a virus. Nothing hitting mass murder-"

"Yet?" Jekyll gives his attention in the subject of sickness that he knows very well from his early years.

"Yes doctor," Champion continues. "But it has been effecting where it counts the most yet at the same time, not very obvious to the average person."

The filmstrip shows the third paper from Germany as Mina catches on, "Only distant relations to royal families have been infected."

"All in good timing," Tom adds on to her, it was very natural that the two compliment each other in riddles. "I might not know much about the chain of royalty, but these victimizes are a distance away from a crown."

"None that I have notice have children yet. Either the sick are newly married or engaged." Mina looks at Tom with a hidden smile behind her eyes, she enjoys when they solve minds games, but her thought change to a gasp on the last newspaper. "Countess Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon Falls Ill."

"You are quit right about most of that theory Mrs. Harker, but as you just read," Champion leans against the table corner far from her. "But our own royal victim has eight children already and rumored on her ninth."

"But her children are not in line either," Mina points out while her mind tries to wrap around it.

"The next part of the film I may warn you is disturbing," Champion begging to walk around the table again this time folding his hands behind his back.

Nemo remained silent as he did not share any sympathy for the empire, as it was them who have his people inslaved. The logical side of him, fought with his emotions, on the conclusion that this not be way for his country to earn it's independence. It would leave it weak without order and open to any one else to come in and take over.

The next visual on screen was of one sick person who was lying in bed having a seazier, "This is the only non government and royal relation that conceived the virus. He was the Bowes-Lyon's stable hand at a cottage in Kingstone."

"Was she there at the time she was infected," Tom asks keeping a numb face while watching the footage that keeps showing more stages of the sickness until death.

"I am not completely sure but the body of this stable hand we've kept in great security as we are not sure how this virus spreads." Champion looks at Henry, "There is a very good nurse that has helped us in other cases, we had hope you two may come together and perform an autopsy."

"Yes," Henry face shows some confusion in the nurse part, "where will this be performed."

"Your old lecture hall" Champion smiles and leaves the Henry in his own shock and turns to Nemo. "We need someone ready to leave for shore at moments notice if we locate the mad men behind this and a cure."

"I need a map to direct me to the cottage. I want search for a lead," Tom speaks up before Champion could order him around.

"I believe it will be of help if I were to join," Mina's hand subconsciously wraps her hand around the bags handle, "A chemist is a good thing to have in case we find what contaminated these victims."

"The plan was for you to stay here and study what doctor Jekyll finds," Champion immediately cuts Mina's plan down.

"Actually I may use Mina's equipment on board of the ship and I could do it," Jekyll takes control away from Champion and sides with Mina, "her going to the source would be of great help."

"Then I don't think there is a reason she shouldn't," Steed ends the undertone argument.

"Yes, well Steed from here on the rest is yours," Champion hands the discussion to Steed as he walks into the lift and closes it in rude manor after turning around, "I have a meeting with Mr. Holmes upstairs."

"Can't stand not being the boss huh?" Skinner smirks as everyone turns his or her attention from the lift door to Steed.

Steed did not want to comment back, "Well I have been assigned as your 'Overseer' I guess you would say. As the night is befallen us soon with another layer of snow coming, I suggest we ajar this meeting and start our game plan tomorrow. Nemo I will go with you and take up room onboard."

Nemo nods his head and along with the other members rise out of their chairs, "I will give you a tour on board then."

"I would very much enjoy that," Steed smile relates to that of a little boy as he first enters the lift after it's return.

"This fella seems more laid back that the other one," Skinner whispers over to Tom as they were the last two to enter the lift.

After the lift descends up, there is nose of unseen movement from a scaffold above the table right before the sound of the clock striking at the even hour.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Separation

The snow was already fallen with an inch already covering the cobble stone streets as they exit out of parliament.

"Well," Skinner looks out to the parley visible streets, "nothing that will stop me from going home," Skinner shouts as he walks along side Mina towards the black gates where a member of the Metropolitan Police is standing guard.

"Visiting with a sick auntie," Mina stops next to him in front waiting for the rest of their party.

"No the pub just down the street," Skinner smiles and winks at Mina, "Want to join me?"

Mina rolls her eyes as she turns to Steed with his arms full of wrap folders, suitcase and a traveling case. "Would you mind holding these folders for me," Steed nervously asks not wanting to come across and rub her the wrong way as he did know about her 'unique' quality.

Mina holds the folders as he leaves the case and bag on the snowy ground. He struggles through his pockets looking for something he couldn't find, "Oh my, I seem to have misplaced my ID."

Nemo and Tom reach the group with Henry lagging behind. Henry in defense of the cold wind places his hands in his pockets uses his shoulders as a shield for his head.

"Right here," Tom reaches over and pulls a small leather book out of Steeds front vest pocket that was left to the open after unbutton his coat in his search. While leaning over he rubs up against Mina who held a little smile towards his ability on noticing small details.

"Oh, thank you young man," Steed cheerfully takes it from Tom's hand and shows the guard.

As the gates open, Tom, without notice to anyone else separates from the group and walks towards the main street.

Skinner runs and then purposely stops to slid in the slush while laughing, "see you tomorrow my freaky darlings."

"Sober I hope!" Nemo yells as the carriage they arrived in pulls up. One of his men jumps off from the back to whisper something in his ear. A smile creeps on his face, "It seems we will be making one stop Mr. Steed."

"Oh, very good," Steed takes the folders out of Mina's arms and tried to rebalance himself.

Mina's vision became distract by something further down the street. "Goodbye," her deep voice is heard as she walks away.

As Nemo helps Steed up into the carriage he turns before stepping up himself to see the doctor is nowhere in sight.

Mina enters the carriage waiting for her across the street. Inside Tom greats her with his boyish smile.

As the carriage began to move she instantly leans to the window to give the driver directions.

" I told him already," Tom pulls her down in to his lap,

"Sorry," Mina slips back into her spot next to him, "I'm not used to-"

"-Someone else." One thing Tom had learn about her during their developing relationship in the past six months was their similarities at being a loner that took care of themselves if not everyone else.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you about…that," his punctuation of word was the best he could come out with.

"Will you eventually," Mina asks in a understanding manor. She too held secrets from lovers as she remembering the surprise Dorian carried on his face when she inhaled a man in front of the league.

Tom smiles at her and nods his head for yes as she brings her face to his and kisses him softly.

Skinner walks inside the noisy pub right in time for some drunk to be thrown across the room and be jump by another guy. "Ahhh Home indeed." This was indeed his place, a place even the most unusual characters could have a pint and not be look at…well no one really look at anyone else here.

There are the usuals: over weight men who waste their family wages on beverages and pass out, if lucky on the table if not the floor. Black hearted middle class husbands that were picking up whores to take into the back ally to kinky things that their stuck up wives wouldn't.

Skinner was never one to pick up one but if business were slow for the night, these sweaty and dirty women who have no shame would hit on him.

Tonight he felt like going outside his comfort zone. With the amount of money in his coat pocket from his current status he figures it can be put to good use.

He glances around as he sits on a stool at the cheap worn down bar. Drifting his eyes back to the fight as the man that was thrown earlier took back control. While he was slamming the others head into the wall a pretty white face blond hair woman comes into Skinner's view. Ignoring the violence she leans up against the wall and smiles at him.

The snow quickly turns into a blizzard with cutting winds into the bare face of the gentle doctor. He tries to shield his face with his coat but the only way was to leave it unbuttoning leaving his chest open to the elements. Only a moment at a time is he able to peak through to see his were he is. His memory recognizes what is before him. There peering over the top of a stonewall is the statue of Venus.

Happy Thanksgiving all! I will be in Pittsburgh and not back until Monday. So please pardon the delay until the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – The Build up

The horses' whine as the carriage stops in front of the town house causing the wheels slide further then intended. Stepping down, the driver opens the door up for Mina. She steps out carefully as Tom comes out after her with his hand resting on her lower back. His other hand takes a decent amount out of his coat pocket and hands it to the driver who smiles cheerfully from overpayment.

"Take care," Tom says to the driver as he jumps back up his seat and cracks his whip. As the carriage moves away he nods goodbye to the couple.

They both stand there and look at the thin tall building. Tom looks at her and notices how the snow is falling on her shoulders, hair and face. He smiles with a romantic glow at the sight, the white flakes matches her complication well as well as enhances the red from her dark auburn hair.

"So. Do vampires usually live in middle class neighborhoods?" Tom asks watching her bring her glare down at him.

"No they live in dark frigid caves," the corner of her mouth turns up.

"Oh boy," he nods his head and looks back at the modest building, "Is that what this is?"

"No but the attic is," she lets out a deep laugh as she moves forward towards the stone stairs that go up to the front door.

As she takes the first step the cold sting of something hitting her butt causes her to drop her bag and turn around.

There Tom tries wiping the evident from his snow ball off his hands on his coat but hw is not fast enough as one hits him in the eye, "you could blind someone like that." Another ball hits him on the same spot causing him to stand tall and cross his arms over his chest as if he was going to pull his revolvers out.

The two stare at each other waiting for the other to make another move. Their eyes become more intense in a fun way before letting the tense moment go. Both of them grab snow in their hands and begging packing it.

Mina threw first missing Tom as he dodged while running towards her. She began to run away giving him chase a little ways down the road and stopping at stairwell in front of another house and grabbing the snow off of the railing.

"You can't get away southern man." Mina says it to intimate him by his lack of experience in this climate.

Stopping to prepare to dodge another snowball Tom's traction gave way and he slide forward into her, knocking them both onto the snowy ground.

Tom lefts his head off her chest and looks at her, "I'm so sorry."

Mina laughs and drags her hand across the ground and flings snow in his face.

Skinner jugs his pint down as the blond sits next to him. Slamming the empty glass down he smirks at her, "well hello."

" 'ello," comes out a wales accent, "my names Adina. What's yours?" Her hand begins to drift from her lap onto his leg and up.

"Ah," Skinner gulps as he hand begins to rub the inner thigh through the coat, "wales accent I ummm Skinner." His voice began to chook up as he could feel the blood leaving his head for a different one.

Her hand left is lap as she stood up and sat in his lap instead. She pulls his head over her shoulder to wipe his lips with her tong. "You wanna go luv?"

Mary rereads the third letter in two weeks that consist of always the same thing; only this one has a meeting place and time for tonight. Shaking her head out of frustration she crumbles the letters are of demands for a formula she has no way of given and heard of.

Henry watches from below the long window in to the study where Mary seems bother with something while she was reading. He lowers his head down as she stands out of the chair and tosses the crumbled letter on the floor.

Mary takes a book off one of the shelves and opens it to revel a hollow compartment for where she pulls a small revolver out. After checking that it's loaded she pulls up her skirt to tuck it in the top of her boot.

Seeing her leg causes Henry to stand a little straighter and lean forward causing him to fall face forward into the window and down on the snow bank under it.

Hearing a thud noise Mary looks out the window but sees nothing but thick snowfall in darkness. Shrugging her shoulders she opens the door in time for Mrs. Farraday carrying a tray of tea and biscuits.

"I thought you might want something warm to fight off the weather Madam," the head maid says as she places the tray on a small table next to the chair.

"Thank You," Mary tries to make it quick so she may leave without any distractions. "I'm afraid I will not be having some as I am being called away this evening."

"This evening. Miss. Reilly!-"

"It's Dr. Watson again he needs some assistance goodbye-," Mary walks away in a hurry leaving the maid to pick her jaw back up and leave to room as well.

Standing back up, Henry took this time to push up on the window ceil, "She must have had this fixed." He tires harder but the cold on his bare fingers could not do it. Frustration builds up in him causing a deep familiar growl to come out of him as the window moves up enough to allow him in.

After sliding inside his snow covered coat causes him to fall on the floor with big noise on the hard wood floors. He stays still to make sure no one heard it and is rushing in to the room. Hearing nothing he stands up and brushes himself as thought of the growl came to him. He shrugs it off thinking that it might just been his subconscious thinking about what Hyde would do in that situation.

Bending over he picks up the letter. It was print hand writing of demands for money and a formula that clamed that she knew what they were talking about. On the bottom was a threat about…him. If the demands were not to meet tonight at a square, "Oh no. Mary you were always to independent for your own good."

Hearing someone coming he grabs the full teacup and downs it then places it back before sliding back through the window and closes it.

Mrs. Faraday comes back in to take the tray and notice the empty cup, taking a moment to wonder where Mary came back in and drank it in that little amount of time, she shrugs and leaves the room.

Steed stays huddle in the back seat of the dark leather interior of a 'automobile', it was just something very big and fast to the man. When he tries looking out the window everything appears as a blur, which just makes him more nervous.

"Don't worry Mr. Steed," Nemo says from the front seat next to the driver. "We are about to pull in so hold on."

Steed watches as Nemo wraps his glove hand on a small handle bar above his head. Steed copies the idea when notices the same thing above his right in time.

The monster four-wheel navy blue vehicle jumps the dock into a opening in the Nautilus. The move makes everyone inside weightless briefly until they land back in their seats.

"Okay," was all Steed could say as he opens up his passenger door forgetting the height of the vehicle and stumbles down.

A younger Indian in a blue and white strip shirt goes pass Steed carrying his cases and another with his folders. Just about to say something as he points his finger out Nemo cuts him off.

"It's fine Mr. Steed," Nemo rests a hand on Steed's shoulder to help him steady himself from the ride. "Your stuff will be taken to your room. Come now I will give you a tour."

Nemo walks ahead of Steed to lead him as he hears the man say, "will we be walking?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Two vamps in the city

Mina takes the last dried old sheet off another table only to revel more chemist equipment. Looking around at the dry and dark attic her eyes turn red to see everything was still as she left. Four tables at each wall and a desk in the middle of the room carring their scars of acids and other chemicals she had dealt with over the five years she had lived here alone.

She stands there thinking that. This will be the first in five years someone else will be in this house with her. Not since, "Quincy," The name of her son slips out without realizing it..

She closes her eyes and keeps them shut until she gains control over her emotions, they were memories that were dead and she needs to come back into the present.

Opening her eyes she feels a surge of determination and picks up her bag off the unfinished wood floor and places it on the desk.

Tom took the liberty of his "useful kind of guy" mark by imminently putting himself to chorus. He smirks to himself as he swings the axe down on another log . He wonders what Aunt Polly would think of him now, as a young boy he manipulate in any way to get out of work, now for this woman he is willing to put himself into anything.

Noticing he was at the bottom of the pile of stack logs, under a small shed attachment at the back of the house, he stops. Resting his chin on top of the axe handle while balancing it on the chopping block. Playfully he rocks it in the circular motion with his chin muscles.

The noise of crunching snow, as if someone was stepping in it behind him, causes his reflexes. Turning around he swings out one of the revolvers at a squirrel a few feet away giving him a surprise look before hoping away as quickly as it can.

Taking relieving breath, he places the gun back in it's holster, shaking his head at himself. Feeling the adrenaline rush through his body he decides he will finish chopping the rest of the logs.

They were no longer the dry easy to cut ones. This are close to the ground through out the climate changes of the past six months. They built up an icy cover that glues them together, unable to tear them apart with his hands; he brought the axe back up. Aiming for the space between two logs he struck a little to much to the left causing a split and a dissent size splinter to fly out and stab him in the neck.

In pain, Tom drops the axe and lets out a deep sigh as he grabs the splinter end and pulls hard. After much effort it comes out and imminently he leans over to spill the blood on onto the snow, avoiding his cloths, as he hide evidence.

Looking around to make sure he's still alone, he stumbles while leaning forward to a spot near the house where he is out of sight from any windows.

Skinner barley made it up the stairs of the second floor of the pub without falling bacwards because of the weight of Adina whose legs are wraped around his waist.

Taking a breather, he pulls his face away from her cleavage, leaving a trace of white grease on her open chest. Glancing around the room he spots behind two barrels a few flour sacks laying on the floor.

As he makes his way with her towards his chosen target he stops at the feel of her hand caressing the back of his head making his hat fall off.

Looking her in the eyes expecting to see lust he saw instead blood red. Trying to jump back to lose her grip her nails inserts under his skin like hooks and whips his head backwards into a barrel causing Skinner to blackout.

Henry's body couldn't take any more but his heart keeps urging him to go on. He moves as fast as his numb legs could take him until he collapse on the side of the icy road. People busily run around him trying to get their needs meet before the storm hits harder and not caring about his suffering.

Opening his coat he pulls out a vial from the breast pocket of his vest. Taking a deep breath he tries to gathers enough strength to drag himself into an private ally.

Tom finish rinsing the kitchen sink from washing the blood off his hands and neck.

After ringing the washcloth out he takes a quick look at his reflection in the glass pantry cupboard door to see the wound now a scar on his neck. He figures it will take another hour for it to fully heal up.

"Shit," he comments to himself as he looks around the fist floor for anything to cover him for the next hour.

Mina's eyebrow arches as looks at her chain watch. It has been an hour since she opened the lab. Her mind was to preoccupied by organization of beackers, tubes, and chemical cabinet. She places the small jewelry item on the desk next to her now empty bag as she steps away from the tables and walks over to a circler window to flap it open.

Noticing just the sound of people on the streets and not the chopping of wood causes her a little worry.

Walking brisk fully down the bare wooden stairs, she opens the dark wood door to bump into Tom carrying a bundle of wood.

"I guess I should of knocked," Tom smiles as he bends over to pick the few chopped logs that fell on to the dark red carpet hallway.

"I'm sorry I was…." Mina chose not to finish in fear of showing weakness though she considers quickly their was no reason to but it is a force of habit… "on my way to the bathroom."

"Ok." Tom stands back up with his arms full again.

Mina notices something different about him besides his hair style from earlier in the evening became unkept. Her eyes pin point to his scarf cover neck as her nostrils began to flare with a familiar sent of blood.

Tom notices her facial expression; "It was getting cold out there so I'd thought I'd barrow this. Is that ok." He tires as smoothly as he can to look and sound innocent.

"Yes," Mina closes her eyes and gains control over her self, "Sorry." She walks pass him towards her bedroom door.

"I'll just take this up stairs and start a fire," Tom calmy says before continuing up to her third floor.

Mina lingers in her bedroom doorway watching him go up the stairs with a questionable look before entering through her bed room and into her bathroom.

Adina stole the money out of the gentle man thief's coat pocket, "Oh darling we could of had such a good time." She says sarcastically.

Noticing the small bulge through his pants she sighs in humor , "well I guess not that good of a time."

"Big woman or small woman," the frail old man asks his companion as he takes another drag of the opium pipe while the two stare outside the only window out of the den.

Coughing as he excels the other old man speaks, "Woman? We were talking about snow."

"Really? This stuff is good…. must be from china," right as the old man says that a large creature with torn cloths on it's back passes the window.

"I guess so." The other man puts his pipe down and closes his eyes in disbelief.

Adina rips the collar of Skinners coat of to revile his neck. She holds him up in her arms and sniffs his bare neck causing he fangs to advance out.

The drunk walking out of the pub with a black eyes stumbles at the sight of a hideous large man walking towards the pub and sniffing the air. He begins to run screaming in a different language.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Favors

Tom closes the door to the small woodstove hidden against the attic wall sharing a chime with the first floor fireplace. After staying scrunch down and watching the flames go thought the vent holes he stands up and stretches as his eyes glances around the dark space. "Wo, I can see what she meant."

Mina's heels echo up the stairs, she looks in a lighter mood than a few minutes earlier. "I think I spend more time up here than any other place." She wraps her arm around his waist and kisses his cheek. Feeling that he stays relax with her close affection indicates that it isn't fear of her that is causing his little of center behavior. But she can still smell the lingering scent of blood. But now it is not as recent anymore as it was down stairs. Mina closes her eyes shamefully from thinking he is trying to avoid her about something. She walks away from him and sits at the chair in front of the desk.

"I hope you'll break out of that habit. I chopped up a lot of wood for that big fire place in the parlor," Tom comes up behind her an wraps his arms around her shoulders and purposely rest his hands over her cloth cover breast. His cheek rests on top of her shoulder giving his teeth access to tease the skin on her neck.

"Actually it's called a living room. It's a newer house design than traditional," Mina whispers in a hoarse voice as her one hand laces over one of his as it massages her breast and the other went into his hair to pull his head away from her bite mark and lock her lips with his.

As the kissing became more aggressive her hand wonder away from his hair and on to his neck using a finger to probe under the scarf causing Tom's eyes to bulge out and gently pull away from her. He plays with her bottom lip in his teeth before stepping away so he she wouldn't think he didn't like the oral offection.

"I think I'm going to go out and shop." He smiles at the opportunity to have the time he needs for his neck to fully heal.

Before Mina could say anything he cuts her off with, "I love you!" He means it though, it was not in his plans to have said it so soon but it was the first thing to jump out of his mind.

Mina's face light up after he said that before taking a skip step and then rush down the stairs like a excited little boy. Surprisingly she never thought of him being the type to say something like that casually but it was very natural and she believes it.

Hyde sniffs the cold air, the scent of the invisible man is not far from the entrance of the pub. Needing direction he goes to walk into the pub but the doorframe is compact to his size. Out of courteous he tries ducking his head and suck his breath to down size himself.

It didn't take much if his body to show through the doorway for peoples to reactions. Woman were screaming as men dump them off their laps and hide under the tables while others just drop their pints on the floor near already passed out drunks and scatter against the walls. The bar tender just stood there behind the bar frozen in place with his jaw drop and a towel in one hand with an empty glass in the other.

Getting half way through the door Hyde became stuck and out of frustration pulls him self through causing parts of the stone frame to crumble. Ignoring peoples reactions he walks across the pub while push chairs and table out of the way that causes everyone conscious to run out of the direction of the moving objects before they would be pin to the wall.

Hyde comes right up to the bar and leans over to be face to face with the bar tender. The man gulps as the monsters hot breath burns the skin on his face, "You want a drink?" the man asks nervously.

"No," Hyde's voice echoes, "If you would please assist me in the finding of a Rodney Skinner."

"Rodney, I saw him this evening." The bar tender began shivering, "he looks very pal these days but still attractive. A young woman for hire took him to the second floor."

"Thank You," Hyde nods his head in gratitude before exiting.

Adina's teeth hover an inch above pulsing vein of Skinner's neck as the building began to shake causing dirt from the ceiling to fall. The motion is occupied by heavy footsteps that got closer and closer as the building began to shake more.

Hyde kicks open the door causing it to fling across the room and knocks the sides of the frame out as he walks in to find the invisible man unconscious on the floor. Hovering over him he notices spots on his head where his white make-up is wiped off and the scent of someone else close. It is mixture scent of male and female sexual ecstasy but there is no woman in sight and neither did he have the time to look for her.

Adina watches silently as the large creature grabs Skinner and throws him over his shoulder. Her hands began to shake in her position of her arms and legs spread wide up against two beams to keep her out of the way until they leave.

I am so sorry this chapter is short. I am in a Christmas play and have two more shows left then it will be back to the usual updates until January when I will be I hope in another play.

Cheers,

Emma Steed


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10- Special Interest

Tom lifts his head up to look over the rim of his hat into the dark stormy sky. Tuck under his arm ia a wrap groceries and a bag carrying a small poultry thrown over his shoulder.

As he makes his way back to the town house he stops in front of a special interest store. The exterior is no different than any other on the block besides a banner in the window marketing exotic gifts and ointments.

A smirk grows on his face that reassembles the young troublemaker that still lingers inside of him as he recalls reading about such items in a book while he scavenged Nemo's library not long ago. It was during the week after Christmas and before New Years Eve when Mina was not talking to him because of the stolen kiss in the dark room. How much has changed in a day, now in the present they have gotten over and became more than he ever imagined.

Making his decision to put the knowledge from the book to us her walks up the steps to the door. The first thing to hit him is the scent of sandalwood from a burning stick in a holder on the front desk that accompanied along with the rest store in clutter of unusual things.

Behind the desk a woman is trying to place a box on a shelf taller than her, as she began to lose balance she releases a yelp as pair of firm hands grabs a hold of her until she steadies herself and turns around.

The woman revels to be the same decent of Nemo that gives Tom relief with his reasoning in the store.

"Hi," Tom takes a deep breath before asking for the specific items he has in mind.

Skinner's eyes flutters open to a bare hairy back and his legs up in the air, "This isn't what I paid for."

Hyde stops at the sound of the recognizable voice accomplice by the smack of open hands on his back. He slips the invisible man's legs over his shoulders making him drop on the ground.

"Ouch," Skinner stands up while rubbing his head. "You know I already was knocked out once tonight."

"What happened?" Hyde leans his face at Skinner's level with a misfit smirk.

"Well I don't really know I was getting stiff as a tree then….I don't remember," Skinner's hand rubs his head in confusion.

Hyde nods his head forward, "C'mon I need you-"

Hyde's works cut off as his body begins to spas in mutation back to Henry.

"I'm afraid I have absent minded left a file at my office," Steed says after his tour of the navigation room.

"I will have one of my men drive you back-"

"-No." Steed says quickly to Nemo's offer in a nice but certain manner.

Under his long beard Nemo hides a smile on how represed the Victorian culture is in technology so much that the uncertainty scares them. "Very well," Nemo holds his hand out to direct Steed out the double doors, "I will see you to your exit and we will continue the tour in your return."

Tom turns back as he opens the door and nods his hat in thanks to the woman as he exits down the steps with a small brown bag peeping out of his coat pocket.

A bitter breeze hits him causing him to shiver before walking brisk back home in hopes to put all he had purchase in to good use tonight.

A minute after Tom passes the ally way Henry walks out wrapping his arms around him self to keep the small coat over his bare mid drift as a pair of pants and snow cover shoulders follow him.

"So this girlfriend of yours-"

"-She's not my girlfriend Skinner!" Henry snaps at him as he leads him to the location not far ahead of them.

"Ok the woman who you had romantic interest in that was your formal maid and now you are now making me risk my ass for…..a cold ass right now by the way!" Skinner yells out giving attitude.

"Shhhh," Henry looks at him with a finger up to his own to lip to indicate the need of silence as they stop behind the corner of the last building before a four way street with only one gas lamp to illuminate the intersection.

The sound of someone walking in the snow on the empty road is heard as Steed comes in to the light of the lamp and briefly leaves it in a hurry down the road. Just about an eighth of a mile away from the intersection he passes a bundle up woman carrying a medical bag. Steed as a gentleman nods his head as he passes her by. But Mary determination keeps her from noticing him.

As Steed continues on further down the road the sound of snow falling off a roof causes him to stop. He glances around to see nothing but buildings closing and snow softly falling at accelerating rate. He continues on unknowing of the blond woman watching him from a rooftop before flying off to follow him as a cloud of bats.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Surprises

Mina's nostrils enflame to a scent, not of blood, but of seasoned meat, as she pulls her self away from her micro scope giving up as the dim candle light made it hard to see anyway.

Finishing the final touches, by poring warm cider into cups he found in the cupboards, Tom steps back and looks at the set up on the small dinning room table. There was no doubt that Mina is not one to have company over by the size of the limited furniture.

His wonders that maybe he could talk her into getting a bigger house, for both of them together, he stops and mentally slaps himself for getting way to a head of their relationship. It was already enough that he announced his love for her, hell they are suppose to be a secret for the time being

His thoughts end with the sound of Mina's heels rushing down the stairs, he. He quickly checks on his reflection again in the cupboard windows to see no sign of damage on his neck or scar.

Mina at first sight looks up and down Tom's body, now casually dressed down to just his dress shirt and slacks, her mind quickly wonders how long it will be until she can get him in less. The sexual thought causes her to blush and take her eyes away from him and on to the table.

She eyes widen, "Oh I…hmmm" Mina finds herself at a lost of words.

"I thought as I couldn't take you out on a date because of the storm we'd make on here?" Tom holds the chair out for her.

"Date?" Mina laughs as she sits down, "I think we skip over the courting part Tom."

Tom pushes her chair in and laughs as well, "No. We just do things out of order."

Mina's eyes look up at him as he makes his way around the table to his chair across from her. She just shook her head in response, as she knew there is no way to argue with him but allow him to think what he wants to.

Steed stands in the dark hallway as he unlocks his office door. Placing the skeleton key back in his vest pocket he enters and imminently bangs his knee into a desk corner.

"Owe," his gentle voice echos before feeling around the surface of his desk for the pull chain of his lamp. Now with a little light he limps around to the back of his desk in shock to see it bare.

"Where is it?" Steed asks himself searching his drawers' nervously.

Mary stands under the lamp shaking from both the cold and fright. As she closes her eyes to calm her nerves a man's shadow comes over her.

Leaning up against the lamp is the same man she bumped in to in the post office early this evening. Carrying the same sad soulful brown eyes that are staring at her's as he approaches her, makeing her feel more sympathy than freighting.

"Hand it over," the man orders in a Scottish accent as he holds his hand out.

Mary's shaking arm raises to hand him over the medical bag. He takes it and steps away from her to kneel on the ground and open it.

"Your not allow to leave yet," the man says an unseen force grabs a hold of Mary and pins her arms behind her back.

"What's holding her?" Henry whispers as he looks back at Skinner who just finishes taking his pants off.

"How do I know I can't see," Skinner whispers back as he walks around Henry and peps over his shoulder. "Wow I really can't see," he watches her struggle as unseen force Irish accent comes out.

"Stop it broad or I'll pull over that dress and give you something else to fight about." This triggers Mary's mind of her father trying who had once tried to rap her as a child, causing her to struggle with him even harder.

"It's another on of you," Henry answers, "go help her!"

"Ok it's not easy when I can't see him!" Skinner runs out into the intersection towards Mary and her attacker.

Skinner grabs a hold of something that makes an "umf" noise as he let's go of Mary and begins to smack him. Both unable to see each other their arms go swinging and smacking at each other causing curses to fly out of each other's mouths.

The man stands up with one of the vials from the medical bag and just gives a glance to the invisible fight without much of a care. He looks over the Mary who is down on one knee to the ground and hands under her dress. "This isn't it!"

"No it's not," Mary pulls the small revolver out from her garter and points it at the man, "it's acid." She shots the bottle causing it to shatter in his hand making it burn. In agony he kicks the medical bag.

Henry took this as his chance to go out there to grab her and take her back to safety but Mary points the gun at him and shoots.

The door to Steeds office slams close causing him to jump and draw attention away from the desk to the front of the room. A attractive blond woman walks up to the desk holding the folder of Tom Sawyer. "Looking for this luv?"

"How did you get in here?" Steed asks in shock and confusion.

Adina just smiles and glares at him like a praetor to its prey. Smelling the fear from him gives a high making a deep growl from her before flying over the desk and attacks him.

Mary goes into shock as she drops the gun on the snowy ground as the sound of two people running away is heard as only echoes in her mind. She drops on her knees at the collapse body of the man she just shot.

"Doctor?" She take's Henry's head and places it in her lap and drops her head over his chest to cry.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Reminiscing

Mina's eyes flutter as her body relaxes up against Tom's, her head on his shoulder, his over her head as they sat in the love chair staring out at the monstrous fireplace in her living room.

"Did you and John live here?" Tom whispers next to her ear.

Mina closes her eyes, she knows very well that he just wants to know every single thing about her, something that was a annoyance at first but as they developed she became more of an open book. "No. I left the house we lived in after he died."

Mina opens her eyes as he begins to rub his nose in to her hair and kiss her head. Enjoying the intimacy Mina makes a move as one hand and rubs his chest and the other begins caressing up from his knee to his thigh.

"Quincy and I moved in her before..." She stops as heat reaches her face and her eyes tear up a little.

"It's all right you've already told me," Tom rests his face into her hair and makes a hushing noise to settle her down. When he feels her become calm again in his arms he boldly decides to ask her a question that has been on his mind ever since she told him about her sons death from ammonia. "Do you want any more children?"

The question came out right from his heart and Mina could feel it in to hers, "I don't know." She moves in his arms to face him, "I never took thought of it…I don't know if I even can."

Tom brushes her dark auburn hair from her face and kisses her forehead leading down to her nose than further down to her lips in a very gently but seductively manner. "I love you," he whispers to her.

Mina separates their leaving their foreheads touching, "So I've heard." She twitches her lips teasingly making it look like she was pondering for a reaction.

"Well you think on that," Tom picks her up lays her down on the love chair before running off saying, "stay there I'll be right back!"

Mina looks at the direction he left and then sets back folding her arms in frustration, "Sure, I lover you to."

Adina leaves the gothic style bloodstain dagger on the desk before kneeling back down to his almost empty body of Steed. Seeing blood dripping from the puncture on his neck she takes her leather gloves off to wipe the drops off.

Bringing her crisom stain fingers to her mouth and sucks on them while looking down at the body with a small moan. "Thanks for the fill Mate," She winks before turning around and leaving.

Boredom starts to hit really hard as Mina continues staring at the crackling fireplace. It's her entertainment for last ten minutes until the sound of Tom rushing down the steps brought her mind back to reality.

As he came through the open double doorway he's welcome with a smile from Mina, "What was that about?"

Tom just smirks as his eyes glimmer in excitement about something, " Just something." places another log on to the fire and set the gate around the front of it.

"Do you have plans on going to bed early?" mina's eyebrow arches up as she stares at him while unbuttoning the top of her silk shirt enough to show the top off some of her corset hoping it may give him ideas.

Tom eminently kneels in front of her and wedges himself between her legs as his hand take her face and caresses it before kissing her making them both breath harder.

Mina's hands go rubbing his down to groping his butt making him groan before letting go to unbutton the front of his dress shirt.

Tom moves further up her skirt with his body as his hands roams her back. He stops and pulls away enough distance that her hands can continue rubbing his open chest. His hands clasps the top of hers and moves them to his mouth to kiss them before tugging on them to indicate for her to stand up.

Mina stands up with him as he holds her hands and then tugs on her again to walk with him through the double doors and up the stairs.

The mysterious man finishes bandaging his hand up before taking another swing of scotch from the crystal glass. He slams it down on to the bullet-ridden stand next to the chair he sits in side of the remains of the library of Dorian Grey.

He lays his head onto the soft fabric and relaxes as the sound of bat squeaking come from above on the roof accompany by the heels of someone walking. The sound continues down the wrap around stairs from the second floor to the first and up behind the chair.

"Well one thing worked out tonight," Adina starts as he hands caress the top of the chair garbing his attention as his head tilts up at her.

"Nice to hear someone succeeded," he holds his bandage hand up to show her his failure.

"Well tomorrow will be different," she moves over to the front of the chair and site on his lap. "Steed is dead and it looks as if was the hungry hunter."

Adina clamps the mans face in her hands and kisses him hard, "talking about hunger!"

The man dumps her off his lap as he stands up and looks down at her with superior, "Not now we have to wait for Devon."

"I might be a horny vamp but I'm sure in hell not up for that kind of stuff!" Adina says in a child like tone as she stands up.

"No you idiot. He's getting evidence of Agent Sawyer and tee-a-ta." He takes another swing of scotch until the glass is empty.

"Mmm I got a lil view of that American. Quit the catch!" Adina's lips go up in a seductive smirk at the thought of him.

"Don't even try Adina. He finally has something out of his league I doubt he can be persuaded away."

Mina's light blue eyes glances around her fireplace light bedroom as Tom's hand grasping hers drag her in. As Tom lets go of her hand a began to walk towards the bathroom door she grasps his waist using her supernatural strength to her advantage over him and pins him on the bed.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – In loving arms

Tom took comfort in Mina's dominance over him on her bed, but between kisses he tries to deliver a message before he got to distracted, "in the…bathroom…look."

Mina pauses her mouth and slowly slides off of his body to stand on the lies out on the bed for a break to regain blood back in his head as she walks into the bathroom reliving a gasp.

In excitement Mina finishes unbuttoning her blouse in the candle light bathroom surrounding a full bathtub of steaming water.

After letting her top fall on the ground her hands wonder to her back for the laces of her corset. Trying to struggle the knots is a coming day event for any woman in this generation until another pair of hands comes in and undoes it in a matter of seconds.

"How did you know how to undo that so well?" Mina asks teasingly as the corset loosens around her midriff.

"An CIA agent has got to know the how too on everything," Tom smirks as his hands undo the clasps at the back of her skirt allowing his fingers inside to undo the grader hooks.

Mina's lips slips out a low moan as his hands cares the out side of her thighs before pulls the corset out and dropping it on the floor on top of her blouse.

Sliding his own shirt off, Mina turns to face him for a big embrace. Her skirt loosens and slides down on to the floor freeing her legs to brush up in side of his things to feel something erected.

"My intentions wasn't to make love…. yet," Tom stats as he slides down her body pulling her stockings off as he kneels in front of her, "I wanted to bath you. If you wouldn't mind." He looks up to her and winks then nudges his head to the tub.

Mina's gaze goes from him to the steaming hot water, "Oh." Her head tilts to the side with a smiling.

Tom stands back up as Mina removes her own undergarment in front of him before stepping in and yuring to him, "Only if you're joining." Mina sits in the tub and lays her head at the ends comfortably staring at him.

Tom quickly without hast takes his pants and undergarments off.

Skinner he stumbles towards Mary kneeling over Henry's collapse body. "Poor mate gave him quit the shock."

Mary picks her head up and looks around for the origin of that voice. Still a little frighten she points the small revolver from one direction to the other. "Who's there?""It's alright love," Skinner barley seen with a dust layer of snow on his shoulders and hands out in defense. "Just hold on a tad bit," in a brisk he runs behind the building corner and comes out with his pants back on.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Rodney Skinner I'm a friend and alliance of the doctor there."

Mary looks down at Henry than back up to Skinner, "help me!" Is all she says before crying and dropping the gun.

"I thought you're going to clean me," Mina splashes suds water at Tom's end of the tub as he nibbles on her foot before continuing cleaning it before sliding it to his side.

"What else do you prefer?" Tom asks misfit in compare to Mina's shock face at the so easily giving offer.

Mina nods her head, "well…." In a playful joy she stands up in the tub to step out but is pull back down by Tom's wet hands.

"Aye you stupid whore," The rough Irish accent swears at the motion picture box wrap in wool cloth to prevent it from freezing up. His bare invisible body to the elements did not help in making it function right as he stands on the small window balcony outside Mina's bedroom.

Mina collapses on top of Tom's damp head from the intense orgasm. Tom's hands continue caressing her hot to the touch back, "are you alright?" He asks kissing her shoulder as she picks her head back up and looks down at him in his erotic green eyes. "Yes, that was my first time in a bathroom."

Tom's head leans back in laughter, "ya me too."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Tom grabs a hold of the towel wrapped around her, as they exit out of the bathroom after drying each other off, and tugs it to bring her up against his naked body as they stand beside the four-post bed.

The mature display in front of him beyond the frost up balcony window distracts the invisible Irish man, "Aye I usually have to pay a drunk lassie for this." After staring for a short moment he quickly comes back in to the reality of the camera in front of him as he begins to turn the lever in a circular motion.

Mina lays her back down on to the soft Dow confuter as Tom braces him self above her with his arms place at the sides of her head as he lowers his mouth down on to hers.

"Your going to make a delivery tomorrow," he talks down to the dense blond who lays drape across the chair, "right back from where you just came from."

"No, why don't you," she takes a annoying tone to him from refusing her advances earlier. "Why would anyone want to go back to the scene where they'd slaughter someone?"

"Because," he clasps his hands tightly on the to of the chair hovering himself like a dark shadow over her, "This will make sure you get away with it."

Later That Evening……….

The weight of his armor makes his muscles shiver and ach with every move that his tier horse makes in the humid forest as it carries him. He gains the strength to hold up his hunch over body at the sound of stream and accompany of a females humming to a match rhythm.

The warn out steed as if he sense his masters pain a relief slowly turns to the direction of the sound till it reaches the stream bank by green marsh and ferns. The dreamy sight for both the horse and his rider as he stretches his long neck to the surface of the water is disrupted by a gasp.

His horse jerks just as his head does to the direction of a young lady standing on the other side staring at him with the most vivid dark blue eyes he had ever seen. Hypnotized by them his body loses strength and slips of the horse's back and into the stream.

The woman rushes down in to the running water fight the current in a long dress that's fabric quickly absorbs and begins to weigh her down causing it to take longer to reach the fallen knight.

His head goes under seeing the world in a morphed prospective as coldness runs from his nostrils to him chest causing his body to cough up the water to only to in more until two ivory white hands touches his face.

Tom's eyes flutter open to the dim light bedroom of the dying fire as a hand wipes from his face down to his open chest. His conscious still lingering from his dream in to reality as he turns his head to see Mina asleep with the covers up to her neck next to him.

Sliding her hand away and on to the pillow he slowly leaves the bed and grabs a damp towel from the floor to wrap around his bare hips as he walks to the fire place and places more logs and strokes it back to life.

Standing back up with his back towards the fire he gazes at her sleeping form and decides that to things for sure he would have to make the effort to tell her. He motions over to a small stationary desk across the room and sits at it. After folding the cover up he take a clean sheet of paper and dips the dry pen in ink.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Edited by Penulis, she also writes Fan Fiction so check her stories out!

Nemo takes the folder out of the hands of a sailor, "no sign of him since he left last night?" he asks.

The sailor shakes his head, "No captain, his room was found untouched."

Nemo nods to pardon his crewman "Thank You," He then turns on his heels to stare out at the panoramic view of the sunrise from the bridge window, his face heavy with the burden of a mystery.

Mina's eyes flutter open to see daylight coming through her balcony window and into the warm bedroom. Her mind takes a while to comprehend where she is as she has gotten so used to waking up on the nautilus in the past months. But the thoughts of last night causes her lips to lift into a smile as she looks around the room for the young man she shared it with.

Sitting up she hears sounds outside in the yard, causing her to get out of bed with only a sheet wrapped around her. Making her way first to the fire to feel the warmth on her hands, she spots an envelope on the stationary desk. With curiosity she picks it up to read the address for the CIA department.

Tom throws the rope over the lowest tree branch and tightens the square knot so forcefully; he imagines it would leave an indent on the bark. Getting ready to throw the second rope up his aim goes off by the distraction of Mina.

"What are you trying to achieve?" Mina calls out from the balcony, causing the rope to fall straight down, almost hitting Tom on the head. He barely dodges it while letting out an 'umph'.

Tom looks up at the balcony with a look of pleasant surprise on his face to see her only wrapped in a sheet and her hair still down, allowing the winter morning sun to shine off of it. "I found something in your shed that I want to put up."

"You're not putting up that old swing, it came with the house. It's mostly rust covered in pealing paint." Mina says in a manner that reminds him of Aunt Polly's three warning rule. The first warning would always be in a deep tone not to be reckoning with.

"A li'l brushing and a new coat of white wash would fix that," he says with a misfit smile.

"If dared to ever leave you alone long enough and you would probably remodel the whole house," Mina smiles and laughs as she stares down at him.

The loud hum of a motor and the spinning of wheels on snow creating slush splatter disrupts the moment of serenity between the two as the monstrous automobile stops in front of the house.

Mina spots the blue turban head first as it exits out, "It's Nemo." She whispers down at Tom.

"I'll hide in back," he says to her as he rushes through the snow to the back of the house.

Henry's face twists as he tries to sit up on the bed, the sharp pain from his inner thigh became too much, causing him to give in to just laying there until someone would come in to check on him. With time to kill, he looks around the room and recognizes the familiar architecture for what was his room once. The door slowly opens to his former elder chambermaid carrying a tray of tea and toast.

She takes notice at his open blood shot eyes "You've awake."

"Would you fetch Mary? I think I had better get the explanations over and done with," Henry gulps and looks up at the ceiling.

"And that's when I took down the mysterious M's mansion," Skinner finishes boastfully as he circulates his brandy glass. He was sitting in a parlor chair wearing one of Henry's old suits.

"You did that all by yourself?" Mary says as she sits in the opposing chair to his and sips her tea. Her voice and smirk denote her disbelief in his story but she indulges him in order to keep him entertained, anything is better than this freak of nature hitting on her.

The chambermaid comes into the parlor and clears her throat bringing the attention upon herself, "the doctor is awake."

Nemo's annoyance levels rise as he knocks for the last time within the last twenty minutes. He sighs, "Women," before the door opens to Mina dressed for the weather in long petticoat, scarf and hat.

"Sorry for the long wait captain," she brings out a suitcase to hand over to his one man he brought along to be placed into the automobile. "Well that's quite different than its origin." She lifts a medical bag and closes the locked door behind her as the sound of Tom Sawyer's whistling is heard as he walks up to the vehicle.

"That's nice," he came from the yard while no one was paying attention, making it look as if he came from down the street.

"Would you do us the service of driving us agent Sawyer?" Nemo asks as he opens the passenger door for Mina to go in and follows. Sawyer raises his eyebrows in a gloating fashion before taking the drivers seat.


	16. Chapter 16

Edited by Penulis‏

Chapter 16

Henry keeps his eyes pointing up at the ceiling as he listens to the door slowly creak open with the sound of swooshing of a dress and heels on hard wood walking up to his bedside.

"It's pleasant to hear from you again Henry." Mary says in a quiet yet sarcastic tone, using his first name while they remain in privacy. Henry turns over on his side to face her, "is that why I got shot." he tries to smile at his own joke but his leg began to throb again, causing him to wince.

"Don't move anymore," Mary moves around the room to her dresser, "It took me long enough to take the bullet out and to stitch your thigh up. I really don't want to force you to strip your cloths off and do it again." She takes a bottle of pills and leaves them on the night stand next to the small tray of tea,

"Here" she hands him two of the pills, "Pain killers. You would need a doctor's prescription for these," Henry searches his medical knowledge, wondering how she would have such medication. Sitting up he leans over as she fluffs up his pillow before sitting back. She puts two teaspoons of sugar in the teacup and stirs it.

"Lucky for you I work with many in the lecture room and for parliament." She hands him the teacup while keeping his eye contact as they share a smile together.

"You remember how I like it," he takes the cup and pops the pill in his mouth before sipping the sweet mint flavor down.

"Sugar only and stirred anticlockwise," Mary places her hand on his knee causing him a little jolt that almost sills the tea. "Do you feel any swelling?"

"No it's fine." Henry tries to hold on to being a gentleman as her hand began to travel up his leg and feel around the wound but his throat gulps to hold down a moan.

"Well, that is very fair. At least I now know that there is no infection," Mary takes her hand back sits down on the bed in front of his feet and just stares at him. Henry mouth opens to say something but he stutters.

"I…..I wish that….I don't know where to began." Marry shrugs her shoulders and they both sit in silence for a few seconds before she leans over his body and kisses him.

The automobile breaks hard, causing it to skid to a stop and making the passengers inside fall forward out of their seats. Tom smiles at his own maneuver as Nemo places his hand on the back of the drivers seat to steady himself back up, "please try to bring this one back in working condition." Tom winks back at him as a quiet promise before Nemo turns to his back seat companion, Mina, who straightens her hat back on her head, "Many blessings of safety to you Mrs. Harker." He bows his head at her before exiting out of the car along with the sailor that came with him. After the door closes Mina laughs at Nemo's way of criticizing Tom's driving. Tom rolls his eyes,

"How about you come up here and laugh at me?"

"Request granted," Mina climbs over the centre of the front seat almost losing her balance causing Tom to place a hand on her hip side as she settles in the front seat beside him.

"Alright where do I turn first?" Tom asks with his hand on the driving lever before pushing it forward. Mina leans over to the back seat to grab the file that Nemo left with the case information and map to the Oxford location, while Tom takes the opportunity to stare at her rear end.

The younger maid comes in to the parlor to see the invisible man finishing the last drop of his beverage. "I'm afraid those were all the spirits we had Sir." she says holding her hands in front of her lap in a respective manner.

"Ah, well what do you expect with…well women running the house," Skinner smiles flirtatiously at the young woman who at first hides her blushing from him but then gives in and smiles at him.

The sound of a horse carriage speeding in to the courtyard and stopping with the driver screaming at the horses causes the kiss between Mary and Henry to come to an abrupt halt. She stands up off the bed and looks out the window and sighs, "looks like my work day has begun."


	17. Chapter 17

Edited by Penulis

Entering the parliament gates became an inconvenience for Nemo. Instead of being asked for ID and let through he now stood with guns aimed at him by two guards and others body searching his service man that he'd brought up against the exterior old brick walls.

Through the bars of the gate Nemo could see the colossal sized man named Champion walking through the door and exhaling cigarette smoke into the cold air. Two men dressed in normal suites and bowler hats were there also, their breathing creating a foggy atmosphere around them due to the cold weather.

"Champion Bond what is the reasoning of this?" Nemo barks as if commanding one of his men on his ship. Bond tosses the cigarette to the side and stares at Nemo through the bars gap with a stern look of a man not to be intimidated.

"You are accused of the murder of Major Steed." Bond nods his head to cue one of the guards to place cuffs on Nemo's wrist. "Captain you are on my territory and I place you under arrest."

Mary hurries down the stairs as her maid opens the door to a young guard standing in attention, "Miss I have delivery here for-"

"-I got it thank you," Mary steps in and pardons her young maid who walks back through the double doors to the parlor and closes them.

"Ma'am we have the bodies for autopsy." The guard keeps his position still and takes his breaths in a pattern of a count, indicating to Mary that he was just out of training.

"Right, please leave them in the lecture hall thank you," she turns to go back up the stairs as the door closes but it is pushed back open by the young man. Taken by the strange action she keeps her place on the steps but turns to face him.

"I am also to deliver the message that the doctor that was to be sent to assist you is wanted for arrest and questioning so will not be able to assist you. It is that the autopsies are to be completed by you alone, preferably in a secretive manner," the young man was sweating during his verbal delivery, clear he was hoping he did not miss a word.

"Oh my," Mary gasps to herself, "Thank You."

With that the guard gave a stomp of his feet and a bow before leaving by the open doorway.

Mary comes back down and closes the door as the double doors behind her open to a floating suit, "I guess we're in a sticky spot again."

Mary looks at Skinner with a questioning look as he continues, "that doctor that is supposed to be here is, well, already here."

"That is the third time in the last ten minutes you have checked and adjusted that mirror," Mina points out as aside from her attention to the map in her lap her preverbal vision catches Tom's hand on the rear view mirror.

"Yes it is," he says, his mind heavy in concentration, "have you ever had that feeling when a cloud overcasts you on a clear summer day?"

"Mina looks up from the map at him with her eyebrow arched, "yes." She looks out the passenger window and sees nothing but winter lands surrounding the barley visible road that they are traveling on.

"Yeah well I really have that right now and I was wondering where that cloud is." Tom adjusts the mirror again in time to catch a furry winged creature quickly fly in and out of the mirror frame.

"Aye look," one of Nemo's men grabs the attention of the group of three standing out in the cold in front of the open cargo doors, their guns strapped to their sides. Their comrade came back from a shop not far from the bay holding up three cigars with one in his mouth already lit.

A man nearby, unseen from his spot behind a few lobster crates was watching and listening carefully to the Indian accents of the men distracting themselves by sniffing the cigars before lighting them up. He uses this moment to his advantage and like a leopard about to pounce on its prey he quietly but swiftly goes through the cargo doors. He weaves carefully through the narrow passages and the stored items while checking back to the men smoking and socializing instead of doing their jobs, "Nemo must really sack those buggers, this is much easier than it should be." He mutters to himself in his Scottish accent as he comes to his goal.

There among Mina Harker's storage area is a drape covered, portrait sized square. As he pulls the drape off the sounds of the men mentioning the smoothness of the Cuban Cigars indicates that he has more time to play with than expected.

Nemo sits alone with his arms folded against his unarmored captain's garb as he stares at the bare walls of the cold small room, a single gas lamp hanging over his head is the only source of light. The sound of the heavy metal door opening and loud boot steps carrying the heavy weight of the man wearing the shoes grabs his attention. All he does is stare at Bond, his upper lip curling under his long beard.

"I must ask you questions Captain," Bond begins to walk small circles around him as he continues, "I will be asking the same ones to your companions when they also will be put under my custody."

"May I start with a question?" Nemo asks, saying something he is sure will be his advantage to control the situation, "why are we to be arrested when just yester evening we were hired as the country's saviors?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Edited by Penulis

Champion Bond reaches inside his jacket and pulls out what Nemo makes out to be a dagger in the dim light until he brings it closer to his face where can see minor detail to the familiar weapon.

"Mrs. Harker's" escapes Nemo's lips.

Bond tosses the dagger up and catches it by its tip before placing it back in his jacket pocket. "Thank You. That was my first question." He begins to walk in a circle around Nemo again, "It was found along side the blood drained body of Steed's in his office this morning."

Nemo closes his eyes in mental agony at the possibility that he might have just given away to Bond Mina's weapon on choice for retaliation to a murder. Bond clearly read the expression on Nemo's face,

"Yes captain, we both know of only one person capable in doing that!"

"Madelia love," the mysterious man holds the familiar rifle in his hands as he stands in Agent Sawyer's cabin throwing a glance here and there over his shoulder.

Taking the heavy rifle, he throws it across his back, strapped on by his old leather belt he once used during a lion hunt when there was nothing else than what was on your body. The memory of his old emits the very first smile on his lips since he had come back.

As Bond stops his circulation over Nemo he leans over the captain from behind and places his lips mere inches away from his ear, "Where is she captain?"

Nemo keeps his cool in the situation and stares at the brick wall as if he is meditating with his eyes open.

"Murdering a personal friend is more of an intimate crime than any other-" Bond began to bark into Nemo's ear when the door opens, his secretary coming inside the room.

"Champion there was a package found in Lieutenant Colonel Steed's office."

Bond just looks up at her in annoyance, "yes, and?"

The woman puts on the best smile to mask the effect of his attitude; he was always assuming she lacked any intelligence,

"Well, it was not there when the body was found, and it's addressed to you."

With the painting under arm and the rifle strap to his back he slowly walked out of the cargo door behind the back of the baked men without a sound. He notes they're laughing and chatting, clearly their stone minds find something amusing.

His pace quickens as he continues down the harbor, hiding behind objects, for the next half a mile stretch until he reaches the Gray manor.

Bond opens the package on his office desk to find a filmstrip tight on its spindle, "Miss. Rigg?" His sectary stands to attention at his next command, "bring me a projector."

"He's a handsome devil," an unseen figure with a distinct Irish accent comments on the portrait his companion has just placed upon a chair in the library.

"Closer to the devil than anyone you will ever meet," he takes the gun off over his shoulder, holds it in his hands and looks at it in pride.

"What's with the old artillery?" he observes in an ignorant manner.

"Just an old friend Mac." He replies. He places it down and leans up against the cobbled wall, his attentions back to the painting. "Mac McSteed I would like to introduce you to the new player in our game, Dorian Gray."

Champion comes rushing back into the small room containing Nemo, "how long have they been lovers?"

Nemo raises his brow, "I am curious of these lovers you speak of. Do they have names? Romeo and Juliet perhaps?" His face twists in a little smile thinking that Bond was really taking a different angle, one far from the murder he was being integrated about.

"Agent Sawyer and Wilhelmina Harker!" He says sternly. Nemo's face turns pale, reflecting his inward shock but mentally he tries to find a way to control the situation in civilised manner, "I do not think that is the type of relationship my comrades have-"

"Would you like to see the film I just watched? It really is not one for ladies or moral men."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Edited by Penulis

"Are those yours?" Tom shifts his head towards Mina's window causing her to gaze out to nothing but the snowy climate, suddenly a bat flashes quickly in and out of view. She uses a knob device on the doors interior to move in a circular motion that makes the window come down to its bottom rim.

She holds her hat down with her hand, the other clamps on to the window sill as she pulls her upper body put of the automobile looking up at the cloud of bats right above them on the road.

As one comes closer, Mina growls and grabs it with her hand causing her hat to fly off to be lost in the white dusty snow. She pushes herself back inside and gives the brown bat a glare, "No mine are black!"

She releases it back out the window and looks back at Tom, "Try your best to stay under us." She slides over to him and kisses him on the cheek and then quickly flies out the window before he could say anything.

"Well have all the fun without me," Tom comments as he continues driving with just one hand as the other leans towards the back seat to retrieve his silver Winchester that Nemo had retrieved from the nautilus for him.

The two separate clouds of bats collide with each other not knowing which ones from what. The two groups separate, grouping up in the sky and form into the shape of the two women. They give each other competitive glares before Mina moves towards the direction of the automobile giving Adina chase.

Tom adjusts his side mirror, "where the hell are they-"

Right then the two women, wrestling each other, drop down on to the hood. Tom wrestles his hand to his holster to pull out a revolver and tries to keep his eye on the road as he aims it at the blond.

Adina on top of Mina screams out, "You don't have a chance old lady!"

"Who the bloody hell are you calling old," Mina shoves Adina off her as a gun shot goes off and she feels something project in to her arm. Tom hisses at his own mistake as Mina gives him a annoy glare through the now cracked window shield.

She mouths 'thanks' sarcastically at him the wound heals in a matter of seconds before she takes off again in the direction Adina went.

Seeing that she is flying off road towards the woods Tom pulls the automobile as close as he can before having to park it and jumps out with his revolver back in holster and rifle in hand that he cocks before continuing in to the woods.

Seeing a small clearing in the middle of the heavy wintergreen forest, she lands with her heels sinking into the snow, so she is hovering above it but still allowing herself a view of the grounds.

Closing her eyes she concentrations on listening until she picks up on wrestling up in a near by tree. She opens her eyes and hovers up to the top where she sees Adina hiding in the shadow of the upper limbs.

"So where in the world did you come from?" Mina asks with her arms folded in front of her as she watches the other vampire come out of the shadow.

Adina quickly holds her arm up as a small cross bow forms out from under her sleeve, loaded, and pointing at Mina's chest. Mina reacts to lunge at her before it goes off but she did not catch on fast enough and the small wooden arrow with its sliver tip goes in to her chest causing her to fall backwards into the deep snow.

Tom walking up the clearing hears something heavy drop down causing him to rush as a cloud of bats fly overhead and away from the sight.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Mina!" Tom yells as he runs and trips through the deep snow until he comes to the outline of her dusty, frost covered body. He drops his rifle, causing it to sink into just an outline as he digs down his arms, picking her up, and lays her in his lap.

"What's all that for mate?" Mac asks as his companion sprinkles a powdery substance from a black pouch adorned with a symbol.

"A revival." He finishes his circle around the portrait and takes another hand full. He then throws it into the fire place causing the flames to burst out in a blue tone and curl back inwards as if it were alive and breathing.

"Well then," Mac says a little more unsettled, "I'm just going to go out for a while." Though the Irish man is unseen, the sound of his steps scurrying away shows his fear and tension about what was to come.

Tom wipes the snow off of her cold face to see her flesh a discolored gray, her veins popping out in dark blue. He gently opens her eye lids to see her blue eyes roll back into her head vibrating.

"What the hell is happening?" Tom asks himself trying to keep his cool as his mind goes through the many things she had told him about vampires and the many dangers of being one. The biggest one he recalls is a stake to the heart, but there is nothing big poking out of her chest. His hand wonders down to the center of her breast not feeling anything through her coat his fingers feel a whole. He quickly realised something would have had to punctured through to cause that.

After stripping himself from the waist up, he places a feathered necklace covered in beads over his head. He then takes a red grease pencil and draws the pattern on the pouch on to his hairy chest.

Ripping her blouse open Tom could see the blood from her chest wound with the feather tip of the small arrow barley pointing out. He tries pulling it out but only his thumb and index finger can grasp around it, he did not have enough strength to pull it out. Without a second thought he brings his mouth down to her chest and clamps the tip with his teeth and pulls.

He shakes the snake rattle in his hand as he mumbles an old forgotten language while circulating the portrait as the flames continue to breath in and out of the fire place, each pulsating movement shaping more and more into a human form screaming as the portrait began to fade away to a blank canvas.

His face turn bright red as saliva drips from his mouth, the arrow slowly came out of Mina's chest until the tip, which would not budge. Giving up on pulling with his teeth, he lets go and reaches for the knife conical in his right boot.

The flames takes one last breath and a whole human form immerges, screaming in agony from the fire and turning more into flesh and bone.

Tom digs the silver tip out of her heart and then tosses it away before taking the knife to his own wrist and holding it up to her slightly open mouth. "C'mon darling, take it!" He begs her limp body that does not reply to his request causing tears to build up in his eyes. His head drops on top of hers as he starts to sob. Right then a sharp pain goes through his arm.

"Welcome back to the living Mr. Gray." He says looking down at the limp body of the man once residing in the portrait, now on the floor with his cloths still smoldering.

Mina's eyes open back up blood red. She continues to take what her lover offers until she consciously realizes what she is doing and lets go of his arm, gasping in physical and emotional pain.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Edited by Penulis

Mina continues staring out the window. She was lying down in the back seat and could barley look at Tom and the bandage now around his wrist. The tension between the two and started to build straight after the incident in the forest. He had helped her out, laying her down in the back seat and had not heard a word from her since.

Adjusting the mirror he could see her face carrying guilt and shame, "Are you feeling better?" He asks, attempting to bring back some normalcy.

"Not really." She says in her very cold, British manner which made Tom roll his eyes.

He opened his mouth again, but knowing exactly what he was going to bring up, she cut him off. "-I have never seen her before, nor do I know where she came from. After I assisted in the destruction of Dracula, I was the only lucky candidate left."

"Well since last July I have learned to keep an open mind," he said smiling at her and shrugs his shoulders.

She was able to smile back at him, albeit very sadly, "No. Unless he seduced some other young woman with his _'we were lovers from medieval times'_ line."

The mention of the era brought Tom back to his dream from the night before; he wipes his brow with his forearm as if his mind is aching.

"Are you alright?" Now it was her turn for concern.

"Not saying." Tom smiles, "Now we're even."

Mina gives him a smirk, something very immature for her, as her foot comes up and kicks the back of his headrest.

"Arrested?" Henry repeats after Mary who sits at the bed's end told him. Skinner stares out the bedroom window as the young man and his fellow soldier empty out the bodies from the carriage, "Geeze, it's like watching those jesters exit out of their little wagon at the carnivals."

"Could they be looking for Hyde?" Mary asks Henry trying to get all details she could before making a plan up.

"No. It shouldn't be… I'm supposed to be pardoned.-"

"-I wonder where those wagons come and go from?" Skinner cuts off Henry's rambling as he talks partly to them and himself.

"Do you mind? We are trying to have an intelligent conversation here!" Henry says in such an angry tone that Mary's breathe hitches. He and Skinner stare at each other and Mary thought she could cut the tension with a knife.

"Do you know what I want answered?" Skinner snaps back and looks down at Mary. "Mary do you know where they," he shifts his half white face towards the window, "come from and go to?"

"I believe a hidden morgue near parliament." Mary answers back, beginning to understand where Skinner is going with this, "Why?"

"I wonder why there is a secret morgue, of all things. I mean really, who steals bodies in this era?" Skinner rest his hands on his hips as he stairs into space, a grand scheme beginning to formulate.

"You frighten me when you have that look," Henry says feeling Mary's hand begin to rub his feet as her head nods in agreement.

"Well," Skinner began as he took off his jacket and unbuttoned his vest, "allow me to find the answer for that intelligent conversation of yours."

His dark brown eyes open. He gazes around the once familiar bedroom, which is so alienating for him now. _"Why I am back here?"_ He thought as he sat up in his bed.

His mind wraps around the hell he was formerly in, existing in the portrait and watching the world continue on around him without any interaction, until a drape was placed over his view and all turned to darkness.

His eyes drift across the room, to the fireplace that looks as if it was recently attended and resting upon the portrait of a young woman looking at him.

"Sybil." He whispered in longing, "The closest thing to an angel I will ever meet." He lies back down in the bed, curling up in a small ball and sobbing.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Edited by

The young soldier stands to attention at the parliament gates, waiting to be let in. He felt something bump into his shoulder and releasing a low _"omph"_ he turns his neck, keeping his body in straight attention towards the gate but he saw no one else near him, until an officer opens the gate door.

Walking through the gate and saluting the officer, the young man again feels something near him and keeps checking beside him, confusion showing on his face and making the officers.

"Ok. Same as body one." Mary narrates wearing her medical outfit including blood covered gloves and apron to a Dictaphone as she finishes dissecting another distant royal member.

"Heart stopped first?" Henry asks as he limps over to the other side of the autopsy table and pulls the cover back over the dead body.

"Virus went straight to it as if it was carried through the blood, but it wasn't injected, or else it would have killed them all quickly." Mary places her hands on the opposite side of the body as Henry and at the same time they picked the body up. With much strain on both sides they place it down with a thud, rest for a few breaths and pick up the next one to place on the table.

After experiencing must boredom following the young man around, Skinner decides to take a break from stalking and wanders around on his own, "Where the bloody hell do I start?" he asks himself as he walks down the lonely corridor of closed doors, last names printed on the back in bold, black letters.

He stops as a beautiful yet rather bookish woman exits out one of the doors. Absent-mindedly Skinner lets out a "Woof!" causing the woman to stop and twist her upper torso to look behind herself, seeing nothing she shrugs it off before continuing down the hall.

Skinner follows her and as he passes the door she just came from he notices the name 'Bond'.

"Don't!" Henry leans behind Mary and grasps her wrist lightly as she holds a scalpal right above the body's rib cage.

"What?" Mary asks confused at the doctor's behavior, "It's been the same way I've started the past three bodies."

"Exactly!" His brow goes up with a tension that only a genius mind at work could do. "The inside is always the same, but perhaps the outside is what we should be looking at."

"For the cause of death? Wasn't something they drank or ate?" Mary asks thinking of only the usual murders she has seen.

"Not straight to the bloodline, and that to would have made the death quick." His eyes close, letting go of her wrists and brings the hand to his forehead. "What is the difference between us here in England and other countries? Our victims have lived the longest."

"Well, only the royal ones, not the stage hand." Mary covers the current body back up. "Let's move this one off and put one of ours up on it."

Bond exits the interrogation room right in time for his secretary to meet up with him in the hall, "Ahh Miss. Rigg?"

"I've finished with Steed's notes." she pushes her glasses back up her nose, "Sawyer and Harker should be on their way to Oxford right now."

"Yes I recall that being mentioned yesterday," Bond walks away from her and down the hall, "keep Nemo under arrest as I lead a team out there." He goes out of sight as he turns the corner.

Miss .Rigg rolls her eyes, "already knew, huh?" she pulls her skirt up to access her garter holding a key. "Then why the bloody hell do I do all that work?" she pulls the key out and uses it to lock the heavy door. "Freaking men I swear to God…." She mumbles down the hall as she places the key back without realizing before the skirt drops back down the key is removed and floating away behind her.

"Still as slick as my young and horny days," Skinner invisibly smirks to himself as he unlocks the door.

"Just as I thought," Mary lifts one of the royal member's arms to show a cut wound on the wrist, "The royal medical caretakers still use the bleeding out method."

"So if the virus was moving through the blood that would slow the process down." Henry began to shake as his wounded leg couldn't take the pressure of standing anymore. He lifts himself up on one of the student desk tables. "Look for any other puncture wounds Mary."

Mary continues looking around the arm, moving down to the finger tips where she finds a small, round scab "hand me over the magnify glass would you?"

"Surprise surprise, Captain." the voice calls out in to the small room as the door opens.

"Skinner?" Nemo squints through the light coming from the door.

"Yes and mostly sober."

"Look." Mary waves Henry over, who looks over her shoulder through the magnify glass to a small puncture wound on the fingertip, the size of a needle tip.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Edited by Penulis

"Clear!" Skinner yells back around the corner at the turban captain standing up against the wall.

"Do you think you should be yelling that?" Nemo snaps at the invisible man quietly as he goes down the clear hall, suddenly two men turn the corner at the end and spot them.

"Halt!" One of the men yells as they both open their jackets to reach their revolvers.

"Well there goes the peaceful escape plan." Skinner chimes before Nemo runs past him and jump kicks one of the men down and roundhouse kicks the other guy in the face.

"Come on Skinner we have no time we must run!" Nemo orders as the two now run down the halls.

"To think, they're supposed to be England's finest!" Skinner mutters, attempting to put more of a light spin on their situation as they halt at the entrance door. Outside near the gate is a carriage with one of the guards helping the young soldier that Skinner had followed in earlier.

"I think we can still pull of the peaceful yet aggressive approach, ay there captain?" Skinner playfully smacks Nemo's shoulder as the voice of Bond echoes through the halls.

"You fools! You didn't even take your guns out of holsters to stop them!" Bond stands over the collapsed men who just moan and hold onto their heads as they try to gain the strength to stand back up.

Miss. Rigg walks up behind him, "I locked that door Sir, but the key went missing between leaving the door and back to your office-"

"-I doesn't care for excesses right now !" The fat man steps over the two men making them groan more. The carriage moves away from the guard, giving him a view to the front gate as his fellow mate collapses down the ancient stonewall holding his head with his hand. Nemo and Skinner keep low in the back of the carriage next to a dead body. Curiosity gets to Skinner and he slides the cover off of the face to see Steed, "Well there's a familiar face."

Nemo looks at what Skinner is talking about, "My God. Well now peacefulness goes back out the carriage Skinner." Nemo motions his head towards the young soldier driving up front. Skinner unseen moves up next to him,

"Gloomy day aye?"

The voice makes the young man turn his head to outside of the carriage, thinking it came from some officer in the street, when he feels something push him off balance and out of the seat to the coble stone road.

"Thanks for the wheels mate!" Skinner yells as he takes he reins.

The automobile pulls into a driveway barely visible if not for the lines of carriage wheels. Tom stops and parks a small walking distance away from the carriage house expecting a hand, he looks around expectantly.

"What? Did everyone take a snow day?"

Mina ignores his annoyance as she reads the file on the young duchess "Maybe a good thing." she murmurs. Mina looks at him to make sure she has his attention before continuing on, "She was riding her pony before falling ill."

Skinner whoops for joy as he causes the carriage to slide sideways onto the dock into a few other soldiers who were standing in guard of the Nautilus. He straightens the carriage out to go up the cargo door ramp and comes to a crashing halt in front of the cargo. Nemo jumps out of the back and pulls a lever on the wall, lifting the ramp up to close up the entrance as bullets begin to fly and bounce off the ships exterior.

"Captain?" a sailor came down the steps of the cargo storage unit as Nemo looks at him and yells,

"My lady must leave dock. Any direction a distance away from here will do!"

"Hey!" Mina hears Tom yell on the top floor above her in the carriage house as she looks over the empty horse stalls.

"What?" Mina yells up to him.

Tom stands at the top of the stairs and looks on to the torn bundles of hay, "Just that. Hay!" He steps into the knee-deep unused straw causing strands to fall through the cracks onto Mina and her surroundings. Mina picks the pieces out of her hair as she notices a metallic reflection on the ground before her.

"Keep still!" She yells up to Tom who stops in place in the hay. Mina bends over and picks up the small object and holds it between her thumb and index finger tips, "I think I found the needle in the hay stack!"

"As fast as we can!" Nemo barks out to the navigator. The man pulls down on the lever of the golden circle with black letters in English labeling speeds and direction to cue the engineers below to start up the propellers. The motion jerks everyone on board forward before going backwards while the Nautilus sinks down to escape the harbor quickly without boats getting in the way.

"Where to captain?" The navigator asks with his hands on the steering wheel.

"We must get out of Royal national water-"

"-No!" Skinner yells unseen in the room with them, "What about Tom and Mina? They're in the deep end of horse manure right now and how about Henry? I know he got his pardon but, imagine abandoning the poor bugger.. he'd get depressed!."

"Your right Skinner," Nemo says as he pets his beard and rolled his eyes as if he could see the brightness Skinner felt at being right, "But don't let it get to your head!"

Skinner's devastating sigh echoes, "What if we go further up the river and find a way to get there minus the Nemo-mobile?" Skinner adds his inside joke on Nemo's automobiles.

"We will reach there ahead of the ministry!" Nemo says with a slight smile behind the beard.

The young maid sits nervously, intertwining her fingers on her lap and avoiding eye contact with Tom and Mina sitting across from her at the dinning room table. This was not a casual meal with friends, the space was put to use to interview those who serviced the manor at the time the illness cursed it.

"I am sorry to inform you that I am the only one of us left." The young woman with an Irish accent shifted her weight to one side of the chair and shifted her eyes back down to the ground. Mina and Tom glanced at each other and as if they could read each other's minds, they both picked up that the girl knew a lot more but was too scared to say anything. Mina, being a woman had a better understanding of the girl's emotions so spoke first,

"We're not going to force you to say anything you don't want to and nothing you tell us will go outside this room." Tom bit down on his top lip at Mina's last words which reminded him of a former situation he had been in.

"_Agent Sawyer?" The deep voice of Jim West echoes inside Tom's room at the military hospital. Tom didn't answer, he just sat up in his bed staring down at his blanket that covered his legs._

"_This is very critical, what has happen to you, and the surgery-"_

"_I never gave you or the other Jim permission to turn me in to a freak!" Tom was just pushing for a fight and West gave in._

"_You were dying for Christ sake! Doctor Jim, Artemis and I... we had nothing to lose by taking this risk. After all Jim knew you as a child-"_

"_- there were other men in that explosion. Just because I'm an agent and a Doctor for the service was my aunt's slave shouldn't have given me leeway to be first!" Tom's guilt got to him and the agent that was so tough on the outside caved in to the hurt boy inside as he began to sob._

"_You have time off to recuperate." This didn't grab Tom's attention as he curled up into a ball on the bed but West continued. "Huck volunteered to take your place over in Europe."_

_West took the black cow boy hat in his hands and placed it on his head before turning to leave the room as he heard Tom's rough voice, "Does Huck know?"_

_Jim West turn his head to look at Tom whose sobbing was disturbing, "No. No one but you, the three of us and the president."_


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Edited by Penulis

Mina's eyes turned from the scared Irish girl to Tom. He seemed to be staring at nothing, which alarmed her. With the dark wood dinning room table hiding her hands, she moved her hand from his knee to rest on his lap, squeezing it in what she hoped was a caring way.

Tom let his eyes snap open - realizing he had wandered off from the present - and looked into Mina's concerned blue ones, giving her a little wink to let her know he was all right.

They shifted their attention back to the girl.

"As Mrs. Harker said, whatever information you give us will only be told to those involved in the case." The girl shifted her body nervously and twisted her fingers on her lap before shakily letting out the first words, "the Count came to visit a little over a month ago..."

_Five Weeks earlier….. The young Irish woman, Kelsey, was a happy as can be. She was blessed enough to work as a maid, serving a simple middle class family from the age of 12, and a royal family at the age of 17. They were kind people, the Duke and Duchess Bane-Lyon, they were distant enough to be laid back but close enough to pay their workers well. Most of her pay always went back home to her mother and younger brother in Ireland, since their father abandoned them leaving her sick mother to care for her children until Kelsey was old enough to take the burden as the provider._

_She was working on tidying up the parlor for when the Duke came back from a quest. As she straightened a tapestry hanging on the wall, of a medieval knight on a horse with a maiden leaning out of her window kissing the young man, she hears the sounds of horses crunching through the light snow. The welcoming voice of the Irish stable boy, Devon, can be heard chattering to the horses, ignoring the human life in the carriage._

_Moments later….. "Kelsey this is Count Solomon," Dutch Lyon enters the parlor with a tall, dark haired, muscular man who greets her with a Scottish accent, "Hello Kelsey."_

"_Hello!" Echoes in the room from another female voice, Adina, a kitchen maid who had just walked into the parlor with a tray of tea and her eyebrow raises at the handsome count._

"He was quite kind and handsome, but something about his eyes..." Kelsey stops, trying to find the proper word. S he looks at Tom, as if she could subconsciously she read upon his own soul, "Have you ever known the feeling of guilt for something that you had to do, but didn't want to?"

"I know what your talking about," Mina answers back as Tom just stares at her, his face passive, determined not to let his own empathy show.

"Well he had that to him…I have a tendency to pick up on things like that." She shyly said and then moved away from the subject when Tom cut her off.

"You're an empath?" He said it calmly so as not to make Kelsey feel ashamed. Mina looked at him puzzled. As Kelsey nodded Tom went on to explain, "Someone who is very receptive to other peoples emotions."

"Are you one?" Kelsey said in hidden excitement.

"No….hmmm," Tom stops to clear his throat as her started to feel a burning sensation. "Sorry umm no, my mother was." Tom then cleared his throat again and reached carefully inside his coat and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead with.

"Yes, so I knew not to go near him, but Adina...." Kelsey shakes her head; "She always had it for any handsome man coming through for a visit."

"Did she carry on with him?" Mina asks as her hand squeezes Tom's again.

" I am not too sure, I know they got close but he did with Devon as well, tipping as much as he did. There was nothing more that greedy boy loved than money. The last night they were all here they meet up at the carriage house. I remember it well, that was the night we had a so many bats pass by."

Mina and Tom looked at each other, thinking the same thought about their encounter earlier.

"What did Adina look like?" Tom asks.

"That's another long blond hair" Mary picks it off Steed's corpse with tweezers and places it the bag with the others.

"Not even a candle light near Mrs. Harker's dark auburn." Henry commented as he finished measuring the depth and diameter of the puncture wounds, "nor the height."

"Oh let me see," Mary moved right up against him to look at his calculations, causing him to lose concentration as blood began to leave his head. "According to this she would have to be five foot four".

"Yes, 6 inches shorter than Mrs. Harker." Without thought or reason Henry swooshes his lips up to Mary's.

"I'm so sorry about that." He stutters, but Mary places her finger on his lips before kissing him again, "Not now, I have to go take this to Bond and see if I can prove your friend innocent." With that she grabs the paper from Henry's hand and kisses him again. "You just stay here and work on that virus, I'll be back love." With that she grabs the bag of hair and leaves.


End file.
